As we approach the new year, we here at TFL like to take some time to say goodbye to all the good, bad and ugly cars that will no longer be on sale in 2018. As you can guess by the title, some of these cars we genuinely liked and will miss, and some not so much. Special thanks to our friends at Jalopnik, who made the original list off of which ours was based (we made a few tweaks and adjustments). As you are reading along, please be sure to let us know which cars you will miss the most, or not miss at all in 2018!
The Good
Dodge SRT Viper
The Viper has had an interesting life. While Dodge initially tried to make it compete with the top European supercars, they eventually realized that it had real potential as a racecar for the road. Once the Viper ACR came out, the Viper was able to set lap records seemingly at every track that it raced on. Unfortunately, this racecar revolution came a little too late in the car’s life-cycle and Dodge was not able to keep this fire-breathing 645 horsepower 8.4L V10 beast on sale. We will certainly miss the Viper, and hope that it can come back someday.
Volkswagen Touareg
This is a vehicle that suffered from a bad case of ‘right car, wrong brand’. Able to creep up into a price-range of $50-$60,000, it seems US buyers were not comfortable paying that much money and coming home with a Volkswagen. And what a shame that is, as the Touareg was an incredibly comfortable and capable SUV that was well worth its price. Fortunately, they have replaced it with another respectable SUV in the Atlas. Perhaps that formula will sell a little better in the US market.
Honda Accord Coupe/V6
While the Honda Accord is going nowhere, perhaps two of its most beloved variations are sadly leaving us. Those are, of course, the Accord Coupe, and the V6 Accord. Especially for enthusiasts, this combination of Honda reliability and comfort paired with a naturally aspirated V6 (that made nearly 300 horsepower) coupe made for a surprisingly fun and economical drive (especially with the 6-speed manual). There is still a chance that Honda brings back the coupe body style on the Accord, but as far as we can tell, the Accord’s largest engine option will continue to be a 2.0L turbo for the foreseeable future. Maybe consider picking up a used model!
Ford Mustang V6
This car was often talked down upon as the ‘rental’ Mustang, and somewhat rightly so. Many V6 Mustangs did end up in rental fleets. However, a lot of people may have been missing out on what sort of bargain this vehicle really was. At the end of the day, you still got the Muscle car look and over 300 horsepower for a very reasonable price. On the other hand, you could just go out and buy a V8 or an almost-equally-powered and much more efficient EcoBoost. Perhaps this is why Ford decided it was time for the V6 Mustang to die.
Chevy SS
Basically a re-badged Holden, this Chevy sedan offered an incredible bargain. Over 400 horsepower, a naturally aspirated V8 and, if you choose, a manual transmission (plus optional magnetic suspension) in the realm of $40,000-$50,000. On paper it looked incredible, and they were really fun to drive. However, the sedan is somewhat of a dying segment and furthermore, the SS really didn’t have the aggressive looks to support its monster stats. Whatever the reason, the SS is going away, and that makes us sad. But, now may be a perfect time to buy one if you can find it sitting on a lot.
Volkswagen Scirocco
Obviously this car was not sold in the US, and it hasn’t been for many years. However, it has been on sale in Europe for some time. Essentially a Mk5 GTI with a different body, the Scirocco was a stylish alternative to the Golf family. Unfortunately, it was on a 10 year-old platform and didn’t offer enough of a difference from the GTI to persuade buyers. Perhaps it will come back in the future, and maybe even to the US, but for now the Scirocco is gone.
Buick Verano
This vehicle received much praise from Roman for its turbo variant which was surprisingly fun to drive. Unfortunately, the sedan market is slow and Buick has ditched this car in favor of some more youth-appealing options. Buick is certainly trying to change its brand identity and perhaps this car did not meet up to the standards of Buick’s new direction. Oh well, its gone now.
Mitsubishi Lancer
This is a car that was contested by Roman, despite Tommy’s arguments to keep it on the good car list. Regardless, this car offered a respectable, inexpensive, decent-looking sedan that was fairly fun to drive. Furthermore, it could be had with all-wheel drive, one of the cheapest cars to do so. Unfortunately, its tinny construction and sedan layout meant that it didn’t sell very well and so it had to go. Now onto the not-so-good list!
The Bad
Jeep Patriot
As far as Jeeps go, the Patriot was really lacking in any useful qualities that make us love Jeeps. It wasn’t great off-road, it was cheaply made, and frankly, Jeep offered many more options that were vastly superior. However, it was fairly inexpensive and did offer all-wheel drive. Despite the small upsides that came with the Patriot, we really aren’t sad to see this one go.
Chrysler 200
The Chrysler 200 wasn’t the worst car that has ever come out of Detroit, but it really wasn’t anything special either. The midsize sedan segment is hyper-competitive and if you don’t manage to stand out in some way, you probably aren’t going to sell many cars. This was a lesson that Chrysler learned the hard way, as sales of the 200 fell flat.
Mitsubishi i-MiEV
As far as EVs go, the i-MiEV is fairly useless. It looks and drives like a golf-kart with windows and didn’t have much more range. However, this car did develop a bit of a cult following. And, it did run up Pike’s Peak. While it was one of the first inexpensive EV offerings on the market, it was unfortunately not one of the best, hence why it will no longer be with us in 2018, which moves us onto our final segment, the ugly.
The Ugly
Nissan Juke
This car is in this portion of the list for a very good reason, being that it is not good to look at. The styling of this car has long been criticized, although Tommy does make the argument that it was really not so bad of a car. It did come with a turbocharged engine and available AWD. However, these were both negated by the unfortunate CVT connecting the power to all four wheels. And frankly it could be as much fun as you want and that still would not help the styling out. Bye bye Juke.
Chevy Spark EV
There is one glaring problem with the Spark EV, being that the Bolt now exists, and frankly the Bolt is a much better vehicle. However, that does not mean that the Spark was lacking in positive attributes. Being an EV, it had loads of torque, and was actually pretty fun to drive (as long as you could put the power down). As Roman put it so kindly, the Spark was just stylistically challenged, and as such, it will not be with us next year.
Lexus CT200h
This is a car that actually has one significant upside, in that it does not look like the car which it is based on, being the Toyota Prius. As an entry point to the Lexus brand, it really wasn’t a terrible car. However, its looks were not fantastic, and it was not particularly inspiring to drive. Lexus determined that there was not a space left for this car in its lineup and now the CT200h is gone.
Hyundai Azera
This car is a posterchild for the title of right car, wrong brand. There was really nothing wrong with the Azera other than the fact that it had a Hyundai badge on the front of it. Like the Touareg, we actually really like this vehicle, but the American consumer was not comfortable spending Azera money at a Hyundai dealership.
That concludes our farewell list of the good, bad and ugly cars for 2017. Please be sure to comment what you think about these nearly departed vehicles. Be sure to watch the whole video to hear Roman and Tommy’s explanations as to why these cars are going away!